Today in Comics History, October 31, 1964, Halloween: Disaster supposedly caused by UFOs was actually caused by monsters

from "Who Is Murdering Our Astronauts?" in UFO Flying Saucers #3 (Western/Gold Key, November 1972), pencils and inks by Luis Dominguez

Today in Comics History, October 31, 1951, Halloween: JSA refuse to take off their masks because it's Halloween

"Not until you give us the yummy candy, Senator."


from The New Golden Age #1 one-shot (DC, January 2023), script by Geoff Johns; pencils, inks, and colors by one or two or three of these creators; letters by Rob Leigh

Today in Comics History, October 31, Halloween: Okay, I sorta see why John Byrne might have wanted to revert the Vision's personality

Technically this panel takes place on Mardi Gras, but it references Halloween, and I can never pass up an opportunity to spotlight the Rutland Halloween Parade in comics!


from Vision and the Scarlet Witch (1985 series) #4 (Marvel, June 1986), script by Steve Englehart, pencils by Richard Howell, inks by Frank Springer, colors by Adam Philips, letters by Bill Oakley
Which of course reminds me that I never completed my my full series of One Night in Rutland posts. Yes! I will do them! Just...not today.

Today in Comics History, October 31, Halloween: Nancy's afraid, that's who

a Nancy Sunday strip (United Feature Syndicate, date unknown) by Ernie Bushmiller, as reprinted in Tip Top Comics v.8 #6 [#90] (United Feature, November 1943)

Today in Comics History, October 31, Halloween: Invitation to a Real Murder

from Realworlds: Justice League of America #1 one-shot (DC, July 2000), script by J. M. DeMatteis, painted art by Glenn Barr, letters by Bob Lappan

Today in Comics History, October 31: That means you, Shelly T. Otter!

from Justice Warriors #4 (AHOY, October 2022), co-script and letters by Matt Bors, co-script and art by Ben Clarkson, colors by Felipe Sobeiro
Shelly's birthday is tomorrow, so I'm just kidding. There will be otter cake and otter balloons and decorations! Of otters!

Today in Comics History, October 31: Harley Quinn invents scratch 'n' sniff comic books

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published October 31, 2014.


from Batman: Arkham City digital comic #4 (DC, September 2011), story by Paul Dini, script by Derek Fridolfs, pencils and inks by Roger Robinson, colors by Randy Mayer, letters by Travis Landham
...and then, she did it!

The American edition features a cannabis leaf on the cover and smells like marijuana...so I'm told! Not because I'm international, but because I'm seven.


from Harley Quinn Annual (2014 series) #1 (DC, December 2014), pencils and inks by Amanda Conner, colors by Paul Mounts
And the international edition smells like fresh-cut grass and has a Christmas tree on the cover. Uhm, why doesn't it smell like a Christmas tree, then?


Anyway, it's Halloween, and feet shall be smelt today.

Today in Comics History, October 27: Happy birthday, Emily Post!

Born on this day in 1872: etiquette expert and writer Emily Post (Emily Post's Etiquette and other books)!




from "Here's a Toast to Emily Post" in Laugh Comics #267 (Archie, June 1973), pencils and letters by Al Hartley (?)
A most felicitous and happy birthday, Miss Post! Sorry I mentioned your birth year.


from The Avengers: War Across Time #2 (Marvel, April 2023), script by Paul Levitz, pencils and inks by Alan Davis, colors by Rachelle Rosenberg, letters by Cory Petit

Today in Comics History, October 27: Happy birthday, Dylan Thomas!

Born on this dayy in 1914: Welsh poet and author Dylan Thomas (Under Milk Wood, A Child's Christmas in Wales, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog, "Do not go gentle into that good night," "And death shall have no dominion," and more).


from Preacher #26 (DC/Vertigo, June 1997), script by Garth Ennis, pencils and inks by Steve Dillon, colors by Matt Hollingsworth, letters by Clem Robins

Today in Comics History, October 27, 1927: Comic book title mistakenly suggests there's a good way to die in war

from "A Lousy Way to Die!" in Semper Fi #5 (Marvel, April 1989), script by Michael P. Palladino, pencils by Andy Kubert, inks by John Severin, colors by Phil Felix

Today in Comics History, October 27: Happy birthday, Bernie Wrightson!

Born on this day in 1948: comics artist Bernie Wrightson (sometimes Berni), co-creator of Swamp Thing, artist on (wow!) so many books: Batman, House of Mystery, House of Secrets, Heavy Metal, Frankenstein, Creepy, Eerie, The Punisher, and much more!


from Marvel Age #34 and 106 (Marvel, January 1986 and November 1991); text by Jim Salicrup (#34) and Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter (#106); pencils and inks by Ron Zalme; colors by Andy Yachus (#34) and Renee Witterstaetter (#106)

Today in Comics History, October 27, 1954: Walt Disney tightens his grip around the throats of the American public

from Comic Book History of Animation #4 (IDW, February 2021), script by Fred Van Lente; pencils, inks, and letters by Ryan Dunlavey, colors by Adam Guzowski

Today in Comics History, October 26: Happy birthday, Jack Morelli!

Born on this day: comic book letterer and writer Jack Morelli (occasionally listed as John and nicknamed "Squid")! He's worked on Warlock and the Infinity Watch, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, The Thing, Elektra, Avengers, lots of Archie comics, and more!


from Marvel Age #34, 58, and 94 (Marvel, January 1986, January 1988, and November 1990); text by Jim Salicrup (#34), Mike Carlin (#58), and Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter (#94); pencils and inks by Ron Zalme; colors by Adam Philips (#34), Paul Becton (#58), and Marie Javins (#94)

Today in Comics History, October 26: Happy birthday, Larry Lieber!

Born on this day in 1931: comic book writer and artist Larry Lieber, co-creator of Thor, Loki, Jane Foster, Ant-Man, Iron Man, Groot, Spider-Man's parents Mary and Richard Parker, and more! His writing and artwork appear in The Rawhide Kid, Kid Colt: Outlaw, Two-Gun Kid, Tales to Astonish, Tales of Suspense, Journey into Mystery, Strange Tales, My Own Romance, Teen-Age Romance, Captain Britain, and the proverbial etc.!


from (top) Mighty Marvel Calendar 1978-1979 (Marvel, 1977-1978);
(bottom) Marvel Age #34 and 94 (Marvel, January 1986 and November 1990); text by Jim Salicrup (#34) and Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter (#94); pencils and inks by Ron Zalme; colors by Adam Philips (#34) and Marie Javins (#94)

Today in Comics History, October 26, 1927: And you think your morning went badly

from "Charlie Birger: Ruler of the Rackets" in Crime Must Pay the Penalty #4 (Ace, October 1948), pencils and inks by Sid Greene

Today in Comics History, October 25: Happy birthday, Katy Perry!

Born on this day: singer/songwriter/celebrity/whipped cream spokesmodel Katy Perry!


from Life with Archie (2010 series) #5 (Archie, January 2011), pencils by Dan Parent

Today in Comics History, October 25: Happy birthday, Pablo Picasso!

Born on this day in 1881: painter and artist Pablo Picasso, who did some blue stuff and also some square stuff. And he met Tarzan!


from Tarzan (1996 series) #11 (Dark Horse, May 1997), script by Lovern Kindzierski, pencils by Stan Manoukian, inks by Vince Roucher, colors by Perry McNamee, letters by Michael Taylor

Today in Comics History, October 25: Happy birthday, June Brigman!

Born on this day: comic book penciller June Brigman, co-creator and artist of Marvel's Power Pack and Ahoy's Captain Ginger, artist on Alpha Flight, Barbie, Meridian, Convergence, Supergirl, Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, Star Wars and more, plus the comic strips Brenda Starr and Mary Worth!


from Marvel Age #94 and 106 (Marvel, November 1990 and November 1991), text by Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter (#94) and Mike Lackey (#106), pencils and inks by Ron Zalme, colors by Renee Witterstaetter

Today in Comics History, October 25: Happy birthday, Jeff Parker!

Born on this day: comic book scripter, penciller, inker, colorist, letterer (an all-around Renaissance Man here!) Jeff Parker (Thunderbolts, Hulk, Batman '66, X-Men: First Class, Dark Avengers, Aquaman, Future Quest, Agents of Atlas, The Age of the Sentry, Flash Gordon: Kings Cross, Exiles and many, many more)!

"Catching Up With Jeff Parker" from Hulk (2008 series) #50 (Marvel, June 2012)
(Click picture to gamma-size)
Let's Keep Our Jeff Parkers Straight Department: Just so you know, Jeff Parker of comic books is not the same Jeff Parker who is a editorial cartoonist, co-created the strip Dustin and has worked on Mother Goose & Grimm and Blondie. Nor is he the son of Wizard of Id co-creator Brant Parker and an artist on that strip. Frankly, I'm not even certain if those two Jeff Parkers are the same guy, but they're not "our" Jeff Parker.

Nor is comic books' Jeff Parker this guy:


from "Too Old for My Boyfriend!" in Love Letters #44 (Quality, January 1956), pencils by Sam Citron, inks by Dick Beck (?)
Happy happy birthday, Jeff!

Today in Comics History, October 25: Happy birthday, Georges Bizet!

Born on this day in 1838: composer Georges Bizet! If you thought he was a plumber, you're mistaken: that's actually his cousin, Georges Bidet.

Bizet died of cardiac arrest in 1875, so his career did not stretch a long as some of his peers. But he left us a majestic work that some acclaim as the most popular of all operas: Carmen. Or, as I like to call it on account of how horny it all is, Carmen Get It.


from Classics Illustrated #49 (Gilberton, July 1948), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, October 25, 1854: Maybe if they'd only gone a quarter a league onward they might have saved some lives

You read it as poetry in high school, now read it in comic book form which you'll remember a lot longer: the story of the Charge of the Light Brigade!


from "Light Brigade!" in Frontline Combat (1951 series) #4 (EC, January 1952), script and vellum layouts by Harvey Kurtzman, pencils and inks by Wally Wood, letters by Ben Oda

Today in Comics History, October 25, 1859: Happy birthday, Lady Johanna Constantine!

Not to just repeat the header, but...Happy birthday, Lady Johanna Constantine!


from The Dreaming (1996 series) #7 (DC/Vertigo, December 1996), script by Peter Hogan, pencils by Steve Parkhouse, inks by Dick Giordano, colors by Daniel Vozzo, letters by Annie Parkhouse
Hope you survive the...oh.


Still, you outlived pretty much everybody except Hob Gadling, and that's nothing to sneeze at.

Lady Johanna Constantine
October 25, 1760 - October 25, 1859
This post was suggested by faithful reader and frequent commenter Blam, who's provided a lot of date references in comics that I'll spotlight throughout 2023 in this series. Thanks, Blam!

Today in Comics History, October 24: Happy birthday, Al Feldstein!

Born on this day in 1925: comic book writer, editor, artist and cover designer Al Feldstein (Haunt of Fear, Crime SuspenStories, Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror, Shock SuspenStories, Weird Science, Weird Fantasy, Weird Science-Fantasy, and many more) and executive editor of MAD magazine from 1956 to 1985. As the kid standing before the poster of superheroes said, wow!


from Crime SuspenStories (1950 series) #10 (EC, April 1952), text by Al Feldstein (signed as Wm. M. Gaines)

Today in Comics History, October 24: Happy birthday, Tini Howard!

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published October 24, 2022.

Born on this day: comic book writer Tini Howard, who's scripted Excalibur, Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Death's Head, Batman: Urban Legends, Age of Conan: Bêlit,, Boom's Power Rangers, and more! She's the co-creator of the Strikeforce team and series at Marvel and IDW/Black Crown's Euthanauts and Assassistas with Gilbert Hernandez!


"DC Nation" from DC Comics cover-dated May 2023

Today in Comics History, October 24, 2008: Ladies and Gentlemen, The Replacements

from Secret Invasion (2023 series) #2 (Marvel, February 2023), script by Ryan North, art by Francesco Mobili, colors by Jordie Bellaire, letters by Joe Caramagna

Bully Eats Food: Butter Tarts

Shelly and I are having Butter Tarts!* They are very buttery, so my congratulations on their name.

*As seen on Paw Patrol

Today in Comics History, October 23: Happy birthday, Ewell Blackwell!

A very happy birthday today to born-in-1922's Ewell Blackwell (nicknamed "The Whip" and "Blackie"), phenomenal Major League Baseball pitcher, primarily with the Cincinnati Reds. Also: professional eater of the "Breakfast of Champions":


Wheaties advertisement in DC Comics cover-dated September 1948, creators unknown and uncredited

Today in Comics History, October 23: Happy birthday, Bob Montana!

Born on this day in 1920: Bob Montana, artist and creator of the original Archie comic strip, comic book feature, and characters of Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica. (I personally credit Montana and not John Goldwater, and here's a good TCJ article by R. C. Harvey that argues the same.) Montana also drew or inked some stories at Lev Gleason and Marvel Comics.

Today in Comics History, October 23, 1927: 3-day anniversary of invention of the rubber band co-incides with the invention of the H.R. Department

The Far Side (Chronicle Features, 1983?), by Gary Larson
P.S.: The rubber band was actually patented on March 17, 1845.